A Year of Protest
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Nov 10
MM Nov10 02 jon offredo
Nov 24
Strike! Resist! Occupy!
Newcastle Occupation IMMJ
On November 24, the student action that had captured the attention of MPs and the general population alike, had come to Newcastle.After a 2,000-strong march throughout Newcastle City Center, more than 60 students from Newcastle and surrounding Universities and colleges occupied the Fine Art Building."We have the intention of staying until our demands are met or at least some sort of settlement has been made. We are occupying to defend education but we dont want to disrupt Art students from their education," Simon Childs, with Newcastle Free Education Network, said.The occupation lasted nearly 20 days and kept a core group of at least 25 people inside at all times. The Fine Art building was turned into both a commune for the occupiers, and a headquarters for all action against the tuition fees. Over the course of several weeks, occupants of the Fine Arts building staged other actions at the Kings Gate Building, Newcastle's City Council chambers and lead a funeral for education across the downtown campus.Students often met with Registrar John Hogan to discuss demands several times. "They [the occupants] are trying to make a point and get attention from the University," Hogan said. "They are doing that, but the sooner it ends the better."
Dec 9
Tuition fees vote - London Demo
Students and sabbatical officers from Newcastle University joined thousands of students in London on Thursday, as last-ditch attempts to prevent the rise of tuition fees proved fruitless with Parliament passing the bill that would see fees nearly treble.On December 9 the bill passed through Parliament 323 to 302, a majority of 21, despite the efforts of Newcastle University protesting in the streets and NUS members like Newcastle University president Tom Delamere lobbying in the Houses of Parliament. "I'm massively disappointed and devastated for higher education. Its a shame it had to go through like this," Delamere said.The vote came as universities across the UK were occupied by groups of students opposed to the rise in fees and fervently against the cuts imposed by the coalition government.A small contingent of students from the Newcastle University occupation traveled to London to hit the pavement and protest.The scenes of the student unrest that kicked off at Millbank over a month ago were repeated that day as the march beginning near UCL turned ugly after police kettled, charged at protesters with horses and beat students with batons.Throughout the day, police and protesters fought in street skirmishes, but following the announcement the vote passed, 323 to 302, riots broke out in Parliament Square.Patrick McCluskey, a first-year English Literature student at Newcastle, who was kettled nearly all day, and then later that night on Westminster Bridge said:"The protests sort of devolved into a battle with police, saying its not really about education anymore. It makes me sad to say it, but it has broken down."Some protesters tried to storm the Treasury, using everything from cylinder blocks, pipes, fences and ladders to ram down several of the buildings windows. The attempts to break through proved unsuccessful as waves of police dressed in riot gear resisted throughout the evening.There were also reports of a Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square being set on fire and a car with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall being harassed in their car.
multimedia jon offredo
Jan 29
Manchester Demo. 'We Know'
Final edit jon offredo
If it wasnt the egg-throwing, the orange hurled through the air or the hundreds leaving mid-speech to start their own march, surely it was the hordes of students trailing Aaron Porter through the streets of Manchester screaming for his resignation that signalled the rift between students and National Union of Students leadership.The fractured relationship between an embattled Porter and the students he represents has been eroded since the scenes at Millbank three months ago, and has called into question who actually represents the so-called silent majority of students placed between the two most vocal contingents of the student movement.In an email sent to NUS members following his withdrawal from a scheduled speech at the conclusion of the march in Manchester, Porter said: Today I came to Manchester to talk about cuts to the Educational Maintenance Allowance... But instead of being able to speak out on behalf of students on the issues, I was silenced by those keen to disunite our movement.
March 26
TUC Demo. 500k march in March
Now frame jon offredo
Following the many student marches that made headlines in the latter parts of 2010, a mass march uniting all walks of life affected by the cuts was planned for March 26.It was planned to be one of the biggest protests to hit London and all of the UK.For the months leading up to the march, students had been calling to unite with the working class, unions and families affected by the cuts. This was the first chance for the population of the UK to take the streets en masse.That day, 500,000 people from all walks of life joined forces with students and unions to spend the day marching through London chanting the now-mainstays of protest in the UK.Tourists visiting London that day stood dumbfounded on the sidewalks as an endless stream of people walked past shouting "No ifs, no buts, no public sector cuts". But like the other protests in London and Manchester, it wasn't the turnout or the peaceful march to Hyde Park that made headlines, but it was the 500-strong breakaway group that roamed around Oxford and Picadilly streets breaking shop windows that caught the attention of the general public the next morning.And it wasn't just the general march that missed out on publicity, but the peaceful direct action group, UKUncut was wrongfully chunked with the actions of anarchists, after UKUncut staged a sit-in at the royalist shop, Fortnum and Masons.
The Future is Unwritten
Newcastle Uni charges £9k.
Chris Brink
From: student-announce-request_newcastle.ac.uk [student-announce-request_newcastle.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Jeannette StrachanSent: 13 April 2011 17:49To: 'student-announce_ncl.ac.uk'Subject: [student-announce] Message from the RegistrarDear studentI am writing to let you know that, at the meeting of Senate held on Tuesday 12 April, it was agreed that the University should seek to charge a fee of £9,000 per year for undergraduate programmes from 2012. This proposal is subject to formal ratification by Council in early June, and is also dependent on approval of our proposed Access Agreement with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), in which we set out our commitments to safeguarding fair access and widening participation.The proposed fee (which affects UK and EU students commencing degree programmes from 2012) was agreed following extensive consultation within the University, taking into account our conviction that the University should position itself as a premium fee provider with a value proposition based upon high quality, distinctive features, reputational advantage and excellent service. As a world-class civic university, our aim is to marry excellence with relevance. This includes an ongoing strategic commitment to ensuring the diversity of our student body. We will therefore continue to place emphasis on widening participation and fair access, as well as initiatives to ensure an excellent student experience.The message below is also being sent today to our staff and alumni, and will be published as a press release.With thanks and best regardsJohn Hogan***************************Dr John HoganRegistrarNewcastle University announces 2012 Student Fees ProposalsNewcastle University has announced its intention to charge a fee of £9,000 per year for new UK and EU undergraduates who start university in September 2012.A proportion of the higher fees will be spent on extending the University's fair access initiatives, aimed at giving even more students the opportunity to study for a degree at Newcastle, one of the UK's leading universities. Up to a third of undergraduate students will benefit from financial support of £2,000 per year from 2012, with £29m allocated to fee waivers and bursaries over the first five years.The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chris Brink said: 'The reputation and popularity of the University are backed up by the high-quality teaching and learning experience available to our students. Newcastle University is a modern civic university with a proud tradition, committed to world-class academic excellence - and excellence with a purpose. We are consistently ranked in the top 20 in the UK for research power and student experience, and our commitment to 'education for life' is backed up by our strong graduate employability record. Newcastle University has a solid foundation on which to build future success and we want to continue to attract the brightest and best students from all backgrounds to study here.We are planning to build on our existing wide range of activities to promote fair access, which will include a generous package of support to ensure that students will not be put off applying to us for financial reasons.'Newcastle University already conducts an extensive programme of raising aspirations and widening participation. Activities include the nationally-recognised PARTNERS scheme which involves 113 state schools and colleges in the North East, Cumbria and northern UK region. Approximately 35,000 students are involved in Newcastle University's widening participation activities in a typical year, and more than 1,800 students have entered Newcastle University through the PARTNERS supported entry route since the scheme started in 2000. PARTNERS celebrated 10 years of successful activity in 2010.Nationally, Newcastle is leading the groundbreaking Realising Opportunities scheme which aims to encourage talented students from across the UK to apply to research-intensive universities. Twelve leading universities are involved in the scheme, which builds upon their collective experience of widening participation.This year alone, Newcastle University will be spending approximately £26m on projects to ensure an even better experience for its students with continuing investment in the future. Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching commented: 'The proposed fee will ensure the University can continue to invest to benefit further the quality of the programmes we deliver and the broader experience of our students.'The fee level that Newcastle University is proposing is conditional upon the approval by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) of the Access Agreement for 2012 entry. OFFA will be notifying all English universities with decisions in July, at which stage the University will be able to confirm fees for 2012.
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The Future is Unwritten
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